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60 vehicles in Hwy. 401 pileup near Newcastle

One person was extricated from this vehicle that was crushed underneath a transport during a pileup involving about 60 vehicles on Highway 401 westbound just east of Mill Street in Newcastle, Friday, January 25, 2013. (Pete Fisher/QMI Agency)

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A multi-vehicle collision closed all lanes westbound and eastbound on Hwy. 401 between Hwy. 35/115 and Newtonville Rd. Friday, disrupting traffic and sending eight people to hospital.

Deputy chief Steve McNenly, of Durham Region EMS, said dozens of vehicles were involved in the collision, which began around 3:30 p.m.

“We anticipate approximately 60 vehicles were involved over an area of about 1.5 km or so,” McNenly said.

Aaron Lazarus, spokesman for Lakeridge Health, confirmed eight patients were transported from the scene of the wreckage. He said three were taken in critical condition to Lakeridge Health Bowmanville while the rest were taken to Lakeridge Health Oshawa.

According to McNenly, one patient at the Bowmanville facility was transferred by Friday evening to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

Adam Price, a volunteer firefighter who was driving from Mount Tremblant in Quebec to his home in Collingwood, Ont., was among those initially trapped under a transport.

He had to climb out through the roof of his car, that was partially torn off, Price said.

Emergency crews from the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Peterborough County, and Northumberland County attended the scene, with a total of 12 ambulances, McNenly said.

“We’ll be doing a full reconstruction so this going to be a very time-consuming investigation,” said Ontario Provincial Police Const. Linda Wolf.

When asked if snow may have played a role in the collision, she said investigators will look at the weather as a “possible factor.”

“But it’s definitely not the only factor,” Wolf said. “There’s something else that has caused the vehicles to collide.”

Lanes were expected to remain closed for several hours while the investigation and clean up continued, she said.

“They’re working on towing some of the vehicles out of there,” Wolf said, adding a number of people had been transported by bus to a local community centre to keep warm and begin paperwork.